Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela — and to U.S. President Donald Trump, whom she praised for his “decisive support” of her country’s pro-democracy movement.
Gatekeepers News reports that “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!” Machado wrote on X on Friday.
“We are on the threshold of victory, and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy,” she added.
A Symbol of Resistance
Machado, 58, has been in hiding for the past year after elections that President Nicolás Maduro was accused of rigging. Barred from running, she backed former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia as her stand-in candidate — a figure recognised by much of the international community as the rightful winner.
Announcing her Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee hailed Machado for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Support for U.S. Pressure on Maduro
A vocal critic of Venezuela’s socialist government, Machado has endorsed Trump’s policy of maintaining military pressure on Maduro, including recent U.S. naval deployments near Venezuelan waters, describing them as “necessary measures” toward restoring democracy.
Her message drew a warm response from Washington. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reposted Machado’s dedication on her official X account, amplifying her remarks.
Reactions from Opposition Leaders
Machado’s fellow opposition figures also welcomed the Nobel recognition. Former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles congratulated her, saying:
“May this recognition be another boost to achieve peace and for our Venezuela to leave behind the suffering and recover the freedom and democracy for which it has fought for so many years.”
